I think some gestures tend to be very widespread, but I don't think any are universal. Variations of empty-handedness often signify a greeting with the undertone, "I'm here peacefully; I carry no weapon."
I doubt if any languages have any words with universally equal meanings. Related languages carry similarities in their roots, but the more foreign the language the less similarity. Linguists agree that the relationship between an object, the word it is called by and what it signifies is arbitrary. One exception may be the word "ma" for mother. It is thought by some linguists to be fairly close to universal, perhaps because it tends to be one of the first word-like sounds a baby makes.
I am surprised no one has mentioned this. We are all adults here, right? I'm presenting my answer in the spirit of academia and in response to this post...